Dawn of Daybreak
by NeonZangetsu
Summary: Erza never knew what it was like to have an equal. A companion. Someone to walk beside her, not in front of or behind her. Someone who could do what no man or woman ever could. Tame her. Just who is this mysterious blond? Third in a series of oneshots pairing Naruto with every girl in Fairy Tail! NarutoxEdo Erza/Erza Knightwalker! Rated M for language, lemons, and lots of lust.
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: Next! Now we see the first NarutoxEdoErza pairing (To my knowledge) in existence! And my personal thanks to Vandenbz and GaijinSamurai for the rockin' ideas inspired in this fic! I apologize in advance for any OOC behavior in this chapter, but, given the circumstances, I think its excusable, no? Anyway sit back, grab a snack, pull up a chair, and...**

**...ENJOY!**

_By the pricking of my thumbs, something wicked this way comes..._

~William Shakespeare

**Walker**

Edolas.

A world that is slowly losing its magical power. A world that uses devices known as lacrima to store magical power. A world that uses Anima to drain vast sources of magical energy from other realms in order to provide magical power. A world that has disbanded nearly all wizard guilds in order to conserve magical power. A world that thrives and depends on magical power.

A world about to be forever changed.

Because a stranger had just been invited to its hallowed halls. Perhaps invited was not the right word. There had been no formal invitation requesting his prescence in Edolas, nor had he been invited there to begin with. Perhaps captured, fit the bill. Torn from his own dimension by an experimental Anima designed to target vast sources of magical power in other realms, he'd awoken, not to find himself as a giant lacrima, rather, but to find himself in a strange new world alien to his own. Then the soldiers had descended upon and he'd awoken once more, this time to find his hands bound, his vision blocked by a black hood, and his entire body_-save for his feet-_wreathed in chains.

He walked for a while with the bag over his head, lead by his captors as he arrived; a small, dark room. He couldn't see anything, but he could overhear people snickering and talking as he was lead to his destination. _Not very discreet, are they? _he thought as a rock was thrown at him.

Then he was thrown into a chair and chained to it before his black hood was ripped off.

He was a handsome youth, if intense. His blond hair was disheveled, his blue eyes intelligent, his features balanced. Whisker marks tripled each cheek cheeks that once dimpled with a constantly bright and enthused grin; no matter the situation, no matter the mission. Now, he was intense, his visage free of the baby fat that had cursed him in his younger years. Chiseled and nigh but expressionless, that face squinted as jagged shards of light stabbed into his retina.

His eyes hadn't even been allowed time to adjust to the bright light focused on him before the first punch was thrown. When his head finally stopped spinning, he saw that he was surrounded by four large men, dressed in silver and grey from head to toe, even wearing helmets to hide their faces, each with some sort of insignia emblazoned there.

"That's funny," He said as the first bit of blood began to trickle out of his mouth. "The guys that brought me in here were wearing all white. I liked their masks better, too. I couldn't see _any _of their faces." He looked at the soldier closest to him. "I can see your little fuckin' pig-eyes through yours."

_Okay,_ He thought as another punch hit him in the side of the head, bringing him back to the present. _Maybe I've been provoking them. A _little. _But why stop now? Lord knows they aren't gonna._

He was about to let loose another string of insults when the door to the room opened and a figure entered. At this person's entrance, his four assaulters ceased the beatings they were doling out and stood respectfully still as the figure walked closer to the light.

_Ah, shit. _he thought at the new arrival. _This might not go well for me._

But as the person came into view, he saw that it was a woman, almost a full head and neck shorter than he was. Her hair was a long, rich, flowing scarlet; wavy red hair with an elegant, loosely tied knot at the back. Her outfit was as provocative as her appearance, comprising of a revealing, halter-type armor breastplate top, that left much of her cleavage and stomach exposed, accompanied by light-armored gauntlets and greaves on her forearms and forelegs, respectively, as well as her thighs. Last, but certainly not least-in his mind-he noted that in place of the soldier's restrictive garb, she wore a dark bikini bottom with a piece of cloth obscuring her hips. Complimenting the outfit, dark and brooding, a scarf could be seen wound around her neck, but his attention had already been drawn elsewhere.

_Is that a thong? _He wondered incredulously. _Well, at least the view has improved..._

"My name is Erza Knightwalker," she spoke with authority, bringing him out of his brief pipe-dream. "I am the Royal Army Captain of the Second Magic War Division."

"Well it's a pleasure to meet you, little captainess," The blond said, his lips parting in a vicious grin that was more smirk than smile. "Uzumaki Naruto, class-clown, genin, and Hero of Konoha, at your service. I'd love to make this proper and shake your hand, but these fine gentlemen here seemed to figure that I'd be able to block their punches if my hands weren't chained behind my back."

The captain almost smiled at his remark. "Well, I am terribly sorry about the restraints, Naruto," she said in an overtly apologetic tone, blatantly feigning concern. "I trust that my associates here have not caused you _too_ much discomfort?"

The boy known as Naruto chuckled.

"Considering the weak-ass punches your boys have been throwing at me so far, I'm feeling just peachy-

His train of thought was interrupted when his vision was filled with stars as a fist plowed across his face. _Hell, that one didn't make stars,_ he thought, as his head hung, blood dripping out of his mouth and nose._ Those were whole planets_. His head rolled forward onto his chest, his vision narrowing in from the sides of his eyes, only to be filled with a flash of scarlet as Erza Knightwalker stepped forward.

She crouched down so that she was eye level with him in the chair. She was so close to him that he could smell her, the smell of her hair and sweat and a soft perfume all melding together in his nostrils. She smelled powerful. She smelled beautiful.

_She smelled dangerous._

"How about that punch, boy?" she asked in a low tone, her face only inches away from his, her voice husky and almost sultry. Or perhaps he was just imagining that. "Was that a _real _punch?"

He brought his head up from its hanging position and looked her dead in the eyes, his icy blue orbs meeting with her onyx black irises. She returned the stare with the same amount of silent intensity and subtle ferocity as his. They were locked into a frightening staring contest, one that neither would allow themselves to lose. Neither would break the impasse of crushing silence; nor would they yield to the other.

So Uzumaki Naruto smirked and spat the blood that had been filling his mouth into the face of the captain in front of him. "A punch like that," he snarled at her, "couldn't even knock me out."

The silence was deafening.

"That is not our intention." Knightwalker said at last. "But make no mistake. If words will not sway you, then we _will_ resort to force." When her captive said nothing, she rolled her shoulders, stepped three paces away from him, and flexed her fingers. One of the guards stepped forward, placing a spear into her outrstretched hand. Inclining her head, Knightwalker turned, brandishing the clawed weapon at the blonde's throat.

"You are going to tell me," She began, her voice firm, taut, brimming with overwhelming confidence, "What you were doing when we discovered you on the border of the royal city. As things are now, you stand accused of stealing magical energy from the people of Edolas and using it for your own personal gain." She folded both arms over her bossom, awaiting her captive's inevitable reply. She knew that he would break. She knew that he would bend to her will, as all men in this world did. No one could resist Erza Knightwalker, Erza, the Fairy Hunter. Not even King Faust was beyond the scope of her influence. It was only a matter of time now; because he would break. He would tell her what she wanted to know, and then, depending on the King's final judgement, he would either be harvested for Magical Energy, or left to languish in the dungeons for the rest of his young life.

Her captive didn't so much as bat an eyelash.

"No."

Erza's smile, smug and supreme, much like her countenance shattered like so much glass. Suddenly, she was incredibly aware of everything. Of her soldiers behind her, staring, their eyes boring into her back as they watched, stunned by their prisoner's defiance. Of her captive, staring at her, the ghost of a smile alighting upon his lips. Of her spear, inches away from his throat; ready to sever his head from his shoulders at the slightest provocation. Oh, how she wanted to crush him! She wanted to cut and stab and slice him into pieces; she wanted to eviscerate his body until there was nothing left but a pile of blood and bone! She wanted to do unspeakable things to him, to leave him on the brink of death so that he could heal; in only for her to beat him within an inch of his life again and again.

Instead, all she managed was a small, weak-sounding:

_"What?"_

"I said no." Naruto repeated stonily. "I have nothing more to say to you, than what I've already said. One moment I'm in the middle of a mission with Sakura-chan, the next, I find myself sprawled out in a crater, here, _and the next_ you and your goons drug me, truss me up in chains, and lead me off like I'm some kind of criminal." His voice had become increasingly agitated as he spoke, and now, it bordered on downright feral. "I'll tell you nothing." Naruto continued, his voice reduced to little more than a bestial snarl."Now let me out of these chains and send me back, little captainess, or face the consequences."

For a moment, his eyes held hers. For a moment she stared into them; those windows into his soul, and trembled at what she saw there. _Those eyes._ She hated those damn eyes! They made her feel weak in the knees! They threatened to evoke such feelings from her that she'd never felt before!

There had been something strange about them when she'd first seen him. Something deadly. Something eerie. Something foul. Something lurked behind them, beyond them, and more, within them. Something cold and _ethereal,_ filled with so much malice that it had truly, genuinely, frightened her. It was as if a great beast slumbered inside of him, or so she'd thought; roused by her persistent efforts to rile its master. A fierce, furious entity just _itching_ to get out.

When she looked at Naruto now, he appeared as exactly as he had then. A face so hansome in its sternness, its icy façade, belied by the gentle person underneath it. Only tonight, underneath his stoicism, deep within those burning blue eyes, was grief. Though it did not show on his features or in his voice, it was there as tangible as tears, as palpable as flesh.

Abruptly, Knightwalker's smile returned.

"It would seem that the Anima was a success, after all." She breathed, her relief returning as she resumed control of the situation. "Though not in the way we had hoped." She allowed the briefest surge of satisfaction to flicker across her face as she watched disbelief and confusion cloud his features. Oh, yes. This was the way it was meant to be. She was in control once more; because she was always in control, and there was nothing anyone could do to strip that strength away from her again. Not this time.

"What the hell is an Anima?" Naruto asked.

"It is a magic spell that we use to draw magic in from Earthland." Knightwalker clarified, a twinge of pride touching her words. "That is what brought you here." She'd half-expected him to be mollified. He didn't even blink, let alone honour her with a response. Instead he just stared at her; orbs of brilliant, emphatic blue boring into unamused onyx with a terrifying intensity, almost as if he were searching for something there, hidden within her gaze.

"R-Right." Erza continued, cursing herself for the slight stutter. "Now then, are you or are you not a Dragon Slayer?"

_"I beg your pardon?"_

"Answer my question." Erza none-too-subtly pressed the tip of her sphere against the nape of his neck. "If you are indeed a Dragon Slayer, then that would explain why you did not turn into a Lacrima upon your arrival here." She wanted him to wince; wanted him to flinch, as she edge of her weapon pricked his skin and drew blood. When he did not, it sent her rage spiraling to new, destructive heights.

"ANSWER ME!" Her hand cracked across his face and sent him sprawling, chair and all. He groaned, the first real sound of pain she'd heard him make since their "interrogation" had begun. Elation surged through her veins. Superhuman or not, he could be hurt, after all. It didn't matter how many soldiers he had taken down during his capture. It didn't matter, because Erza Knightwalker was no common soldier; because _she_ could hurt him. It was an overwhelming, empowering sensation. She reached down for him, gathered a handful of his hair in her fist, and pulled.

This time he did not cry out, but she could see the pain, reflected in his eyes. She dragged him to his feet and brought his face close to hers, savoring the moment as she silently reminded that she was the captor, and he the captive.

"Your answer," She purred, her voice deadly soft like that of a stalking cat. "If you please."

"A Dragon...Slayer?" He spat at her through another mouthful of blood. "I don't even know what the hell that is."

"I see." With that, she released him, righted the chair, _and_ turned to face him, all in one smooth movement. "Then there can only be one possible conclusion."

"And that would be?"

"It seems that you do not have any magical power to speak of." _There._ She'd baited the hook. Now all that remained was for her him, her prey, to bite. If he was any bit a man, then he had to have pride. And pride, could_-would-_be used against him him. She had him now. All that remained was to await his eventual outburst; for him to admit he was in fact, a mage. There would be time later to figure out why he had not turned into a lacrima upon arrival through the Anima. At the very least, some adjustments would have to be made to the Anima. At the worst...well, she could always use another servant.

_"Magic?"_ Naruto snorted in disbelief. "There's no such thing as magic."

Knightwalker wasn't smiling anymore.

Was he mocking her? Did he really think to deceive her with more of his petty lies? Dide he truly wish to prolong his suffering?

"Do not lie to me, boy." She snarled through thin lips. "Even a newborn knows the importance of magic in this world."

"Well, I don't." Naruto answered.

"It is foolish to resist the inevitable," Knightwalker continued. "You _will_ tell us. The only variable you control is whether you do so quickly, or slowly." Her spear slashed a bitter bloody swathe across his face tearing into his cheek; biting deep into waist as she brought it around for a second sweep. Blood fountained forth from his lips, spattering across her face, and still, that small smile of his did not lessen in the slightest.

"Ain't...nothin' to tell." Naruto mumbled, his voice trembling, ever so slightly; his words, taking on a gravelly edge. "And I'd advise against hitting me again, were I you. You're making me angry. And believe me when I say, you wouldn't like me when I'm angry."

"Is that so?"

Kniqhtwalker stepped back, calmly wiped the blood and spit from her eyes and cheeks, and punched Naruto in the nose with a sickening crunch. _It was a mistake._ No sooner had her knuckles sank into the cartilige of Naruto's nose, twisting and snapping the bone beneath, than a curtain of crimson came boiling out of the pit of his stomach. It knocked her back on her heels and plastered her men across the walls and ceiling.

With a wordless cry of rage and despair, Naruto's head snapped up.

_**"I was waiting for that!"**_

An overpowering sensation of pressure bore down upon her like an invisible hand. She sensed something enormous nearby, silent in the dark, like a giant passing within arms reach. A gravid deadly prescence too huge to grant her notice. She glanced to Naruto and saw him grin, grin, as her fingertips pressed against her temples. A droplet of blood fell from her nose and struck the floor; falling in rhythym to the floor alongside her hands and knees. Her stomach twisted beneath the incredible force pinning her to the ground. It felt as if an _entire ocean_ had just crashed down upon her shoulders, leaving her paralyzed; powerless to do anything about her current predicament.

He leered down at her from his chair, peering at her with narrow eyes that were little more than pinpricks of crimson in the dark. He said nothing and she in turn held her silence as she watched his broken nose mysteriously realign itself, the cuts and bruises upon his face simply fading away as though they'd never existed to begin with. Round irises snapped into vertical slits, leering malevolently at her from within the flare of red energy that surrounded them.

_It's magic,_ she thought, amazed. _Even I can feel it...Magic!_

That was her last thought before her vision filled with red light and she was thrown back against the wall. She painfully blinked away the tears that filled her eyes, her head already aching.

And she was behind Naruto.

In front of him, most of the doorway was gone. As was a good bit of the wall. In the hallway, he was standing, the chains and shackles that had once bound him having rusted away beneath the corrosive energies boiling within his flesh. As she watched, as she bore witness to this hideous transformation, the crimson taint receded, leaving his skin all but boiled, as though he'd been standing in a pot of boiling water. And as she looked on, even those hideous burns receded into his flesh.

"W-Wait!"

Naruto stopped in his tracks, his face slowly appearing over his shoulder as he curiously regarded his once fallen opponent. A look of irritation crossed his eyes as he regarded the recovering woman behind him.

**"I suppose I should thank you, woman. Your little "interrogation" provoked the boy so much that I was able to subvert the seal, for a moment."** He spoke at her with a voice that was not entirely his own. The voice was hollow, mocking, but with a feral undercurrent that made the hairs on her neck rise up. Naruto's free hand rose, and red energy coalesced around it, forming claws of fire that grew longer even as she watched.

He shoved them at her with a contemptuous flick.

Knightwalker hissed out an expletitve as her forehead kissed the concrete; shoving her body down closer to the floor. Scarce had she done so than it_-he-_stepped back into the room, his sandals crunching over broken gravel and granite. He stalked toward her, his eyes smoldering with all the intensity of a caged beast. She struggled to rise, struggled to scrabble backwards, struggled to retrieve her spear, but it was all in vain.

**"I wouldn't, if I were you."**

He held the fingers of his hand outstretched, cupped around nothingness. Then, with a whirling hiss, a vortex of spiraling energy manifested within his palm. Erza balked; both at the swirling sphere of vermillion energy and the wicked snarl that escaped his lips as he thrust it forward.

The strange sphere roared forward and tore against Erza's body. The attack had been too close for her to block, much less avoid; she had no choice but to take the impact directly to her chest. She flew back in agony as the dark wave ripped at her face and chest, her scintilating attire burning away from her flesh. The blast seemed to last for aeons before blowing past her as gravity took over, her body spiraling towards the ground limply.

She slammed into the soil with a pained gasp, her back arching in agony as her entire body spasmed in pain. She groaned, made as if to rise, but before she could do so, both her hands were bound and he was upon her, straddling her for a terrifying instant. But only an instant. Abruptly, he stood, his knee driving the air from her lungs and the fight from her body, rendering her helpless for what came next.

His fingers closed around her throat in a hairsbreadth of a second, and then she was rising _rising,_ as he lifted her from the earth, and into the air. He held her there for a span of two beats, as if to make perfectly clear that he could snap her pretty little neck, should she resist. When she did not, he inclined his head a fraction of an inch, and released her, dropping the woman on her ass with a small sigh.

**"Now,"** It_-Naruto-_began, **"It would be very easy for me to kill you as you are now and escape. But for some reason the kit's feeling merciful today."** His body shuddered then, as if trembling from within.** "And it would seem that my time is nearly up. So, here is what I want you to do for me, little captainess. You are going to treat my vessel with the respect that is due to him. He and I, _we,_ are not from this realm. He is not a mage, nor am I. We are something more. We are an outcast. We are superior. We are what you folk might call a mercenary. Which means, thought it irks me to say this, that I owe allegiance to this kit and his village superior. Not you. So, unless you wish to continue our discussion in a more..._visceral setting,_ I would suggest that you refrain from harming him further." **Abruptly, his gaze shifted, southward**. "Oh, and you might want to put some clothes on. It simply wouldn't do for your men to enjoy this splendid view...**

Knightwalker's gaze oh-so-subtly slid to her tattered attire, reduced to little more than garbled strips of fabric and twisted metal in the wake of his attack. Despite the terror that made her want to rail and retch and rally against him, she still felt her face redden. The fiend! How dare he look at her in such a way! But before she could bite back, a subtle tremor ran through the possesed blond that loomed over her.

Despite that, he_-it-_grinned.

**"Until next time, little captainess."**

With that, Naruto's eyes faded back to their normal blue and white as they rolled back into his head and he crumpled to the floor. Knightwalker barely managed to catch him before he cracked his head open. She stole a glance around the room, glancing in turn at each of her guards; each of whom had yet to stir from where they lay. Judging by the odd angle of their necks, she doubted they'd ever rise again. What power this was! She was almost tempted to call it magical power, but the warning she'd received still ran echoed clearly through her mind. He'd said it _wasn't_ magic, but what was it, then? Clearly he used some sort of energy in his techniques, an energy that the Anima had doubtlessly detected and responded to. So how was it then, that he wasn't magicalized into a lacrima like the rest? How was it then, that the Anima had collected him, and only him, when there were doubtlessly other sources of power to be harvested?

Knightwalker had too many questions, and not enough answers. She knew only that he claimed not to be a mage, that he was apparently a mercenary, and he appeared to have a ridiculously high tolerance towards pain. But appearance could be deceiving. She'd learned that a young age. No, there was still more about this boy that she did not know, that she still wished to know. Doubtless, he was powerful; powerful enough to overcome her when she wasn't wielding the Ten Commandment Spear. Somehow, she had the strangest inkling that he might be an even match for her even _with_ her weapon. He was impressive. Most impressive. She could admire that in a man, no she could admire that in a _subordinate._

As Knightwalker cradled his limp form in her arms, the beginnings of an idea began to form in her mind.

Perhaps she was going about this the wrong way after all...

**A/N: Huzzah for dominant Kyuubi! I always thought Edo Erza was just a little bit misunderstood. I mean, if you're told as a child that stealing magical power from other realms and slaughtering enemies of your country will save your world from falling apart, and it actually DOES, then what would you do? Expect plenty of NarutoxKnightwalker next chapter, as Natsu and co. arrive in Edolas many months later and I wrap things up! Oh, and btw, this will have a happy ending for the both of our favorite outcasts, so no worries X3 **

**Don't forget to review! I am writing these solely for your benefit and entertainment! In case I haven't already said it, this and Letters to Heaven will each be a two-shot due to their length and overall integrity! So, for now, enjoy the overall badassness and fluffy goodnes of this fic!**


	2. Daybreak

** A/N: Wahahaha! At last! An update! Sorry to keep you waiting! I know it's been many months since I penned the first chapter for this story, but that's about to change! Now, to the matter at hand, the sad issue of the mass deletions/exodus taking place. I'm sad to see so many of my fellow authors go, just as I am to lose so many of my favorite stories. Which brings me to another bit of info I've been meaning to share with you, dear readers. I, Neonzangetsu, have no intention of moving! This site has been my creative outlet going on five years now and, short of my account being out and outright deleted, that's not going to change anytime soon.**

**I WILL CONTINUE TO UNLEASH MY IMAGINATION! **

**Just as I've unleased the next chapter of Daybreak for you to enjoy. =D**

_"Looks like we're doing this the hard way..._

_~Naruto._

**Daybreak**

The darkness hurt.

No. That wasn't quite right, was it? Wasn't the darkness his sanctuary, his salve? For when it was dark, he remained blessedly alone. When he was alone, the pain throbbed, oozed through him, permeated flesh and bone, but at least it didn't grow any worse. It was when the dark fled before the burning of torches and lanterns, when the voices echoed through the chamber, when he wasn't alone..._that_ was the true source of his constant agony, the beginning and ending of his world.

The dark should have been his comfort. But it was not, for it was there, in the blind silence, that he was left to imagine what new horrors might be birthed in the light. So he'd suffered for more days than he cared to count. More days than he _could_ count, for he'd been permitted to see no light but the flame since they'd brought him here, never felt the touch of the sun on his skin in this chamber of the deepest hell. Through it all he saw no other people save the leering Knightwalker, and the muscle-bound, empty-eyed cronies assisting her in her "work"-and, far too rarely, the healers who would mutter a few words, apply a few poultices and herbs, ease his wounds _just enough_ to ensure the prisoner wouldn't succumb before his next "session."

But there had been no sessions for several days now. Indeed, Knightwalker rarely frequented his cell anymore, if only to inspect his condition, to have her serveants force feedhim his daily meal of bread and water. He wouldn't be starving to death anytime soon. His wounds had long since healed; a remarkable prowess owed to the powers of his reculsive tenant.

When they'd dragged him down here, nearly naked, broken and bloody, he'd already suffered perhaps two or three cracked ribs, bone bruises, and at least one fracture in his left arm, a near break in his left leg, and all sorts of uncountable contusions. And he'd thought-with a foolishness he'd have laughed at now, if he weren't do damn bored-that he'd been in pain. His limbs, once deadweight dangling from his battered body, were no longer so, his strength had long since returned.

Now, he was in a pain of a different sort. A pain born entirely of the mind.

Uzumaki Naruto was bored. He'd never really prided himself on patience to begin with; this insufferable span of silence had long since begun to grate on his nerves. The sweat and dried blood of endless days encrusted his face and his body, but it was not the stench that frustrated him so. There was ineed a point in which he thought of death; of simply closing his eyes and succumbing to that final slumber. But Naruto did _not_ wish for death, though his life remained devoid of anything but pain.

He did not want it, would not ask for it, would fight against it with all the considerable strength that was his to possess. Even so he flinched with the door swung open; cringing as the padlock crashed to the ground in a spray of iron splinters. He squeezed his eyes shut as sparks splayed across the floor, the brief flicker of light giving way a steady luminance, blinding in its radiance. Naruto arched an eyebrow when he saw the culprit at hand, her scarlet hair flowing in the wake of her sudden attack.

Knightwalker.

As ever she remained clad in her battle dress_-did she ever wear anything else?-_as always, she held a spear at the ready. There were no men with her this time, no bodyguards_-not that she needed any-_no muscle bound meant to mash his mug into a mess of blood and bone. She was alone. Despite the light burning beyond the doorway, despite the pain searing through his retina the blond straightened against his bonds. He inched into a crouch, straining forward as far as his shackles would allow. He presented her with his most wicked smile, a gorgeous streak of white in the dark.

"So, the little captainess returns."

"What can I do for you, little captainess?"

A muscle jumped in Erza's jaw.

"What can you do for me?" She hissed, her eyes narrowing pinnioning him with a gaze. "After all this, you still have the _nerve_ to address me in such a manner?" Her fingers trembled, wrapping around the thick shaft of her spear until they bled. For a second, he honestly thought Knightwalker was going to skewer him where he stood. "You scum...

Instead, she hurled a ring of keys at him.

_...here's what you can do for me!"_

He caught them in his teeth; his head snapping back from the effort, the nine keys rattling harshly as they struck his chest.

"Whaf ith dis?" Frowning, he spat, ringing the key's around his big toe. "Sorry, let me try that again. What is this? You know what? Nevermind." With his toe alone, the prisoner wriggled the foremost key into one of the slots binding his his left ankle. The manacle fell away with a thunderous crash. In the span of single second he'd unlocked his legs. His arms soon followed. Chains screeched in protest as they fell away from him; crying out in dissonant harmony as they struck the stone-hewn floor.

"What now?" Naruto rubbed his wrists.

"Follow me."

"Yeah, about that...no." Much to her ire, the blond folded his arms, crossed his legs, and sat right back down. "I'm not really keen on following you anywhere, at the moment." Erza rounded on him in a blur of black and crimson, her spear lashing into the stone, mere inches over his throat. She loomed over him; supreme and confident in her understanding, certain that he, when presented with the potential prospect of freedom, would obey her every whim. Barring his refusal, her weapon could easily open his neck.

"Would you rather I resort to force?" she prodded him with the point of her spear, opening a small slice in his neck, relishing in the brief glimmer of alarm as it bloomed beyond those blue eyes. _Submit,_ Erza willed, with every fiber of her being as she peered into those eyes, the window to his soul. _Submit. Know that you have been beaten._ Naruto laughed abruptly; it was a deep, throaty sound, sardonic in its amusement. Knightwalker tensed, readying herself for any trick he might have up his nonexistent sleeve. Those eyes narrowed, blue melting into a scintilating shade of scarlet, inviting such an effort. He lurched upward at her, swatting aside her Ten Commandment spear as though it were a stick; snatching it from her hands like an angry parent would the toy of a petulant child.

His words trickled up at her.

_"Would you rather I kicked your ass a second time?"_

Behind Knightwalker's pale skin, the slow flushing of her face looked almost like a growing forest fire, and she seemed literally unable to catch her breath. Oh, yes. She remembered. She burned at the memory, of how soundly she'd been beaten. Unthinking in her exasperation, she lashed out in anger. It was a mistake.

Strong fingers closed around her throat seconds later, hurtling her across the room to rejoin her weapon. Only her instinct, reflexes honed from years of brutal hand-to-hand combat, prevented her from falling back on her ass, nearly ending the fight right there. But it was already over. Naruto made no move to follow her, did not rise to the ocassion. He simply sat there, calculating, observing her with eyes of sapphire and scarlet. In that instant she nearly forsook her plan, for what he'd done to her. Not once, but twice! It was humiliating. Her hand flew to her spear, snatching it up off the floor.

_Infuriating!_

It was only when the rage faded that Erza took a few deep breaths and, visibly struggling, tore her hand from her spear. She swore she heard a faint wail of dissapointment from deep within the weapon. Casting all her rage upon it, she cast the spear down, and her anger alongside it.

"I did not come here to fight you!"

"Is that so?"

"Yes." She forced steel into her words, forced herself to be calm. "I am..._asking_ you, to come with me."

Surprise dawned upon Naruto's face for only the second time that day.

"Well, when you put it that way, how can I refuse?"

_Finally!_

"I'll be needing some new clothes." The blond pointed out, gesturing to the black and orange rags he wore. "After all, you've pretty much destroyed mine, ya know?" It occurred to Knightwalker then. His lack of clothing starrk and abrupt now, as he stepped into the light. His tattered pants, falling apart the seams. His dismembered jacket, the sleeves long since removed, hanging open to expose a lightly muscled chest. He was actually almost...maybe sort of...cute.

"Y-Y-Y-You'll get them." Erza sputtered, doing her best to conceal her own blush. _"After_ you submit to the terms of your release!"

A small tic appeared above Naruto's eye.

"I knew this was to good to be true...

"Silence!" Erza snapped back. "I released you, which means you owe me a debt of honor!"

"I would've broken out sooner or later." Naruto argued, but his words were petulant. "And what's this about honor, huh! I don't recall owing _you_ anything, other than a good ol' fashioned ass-kicking after what you and your boys put me through!"

"My decision is final!" The fairy hunter shrieked, fists balling at her side. "If you don't like it, go back to your cell!"

"I'll just escape again!"

"That's beside the point!"

_"Aaargh!_

"From this day on you _will_ be my subourdinate." Knightwalker continued without pause or reproach, her brown eyes burning into him once more. "You will do as I do. Go where I go. Wherever my shadow falls, you shall follow. I've even come up with a suitable title for you, one worthy of your station." She smirked, folding her arms before her chest, nodding to herself. "You should be honored. It's not often I taken on an apprentice, let alone bestow a title upon them."

"And what might that be, oh mighty one?" Sarcasm oozed from the blonde's words, but if the redhead noticed this flagrance, she didn't seem to care. If anything she looked...proud. Proud because she'd come up with a crazy plan like this; or simply because she'd thought of an amusing moniker? Naruto wasn't sure which. Well at least Knightwalker wasn't _completely_ insane, she actually had her brief bouts of lucidity. She was certainly easier on the eyes, too, moreso than that smooth-talking what's-his-face. What was his name again? Sugar Boy? _Uggh!_ Naruto shuddered, at the mere mention of the man. The one and only time he'd been in charge of interrogation had been worse than kissing Sasuke-teme!

"I hope you'll like it." Her words were so soft that, in his flashback, Naruto almost missed them. Almost, but not quite.

_"Ha?"_

"I'm certain it'll suit you." Erza insisted, suddenly uncertain. "Since you have such a_...sunny disposition."_ She gestured lightly, refusing to meet his gaze. Naruto twitched.

"Well?" He prodded. "Don't keep us in suspense."

_"Daybreak."_

"..."

"Do you like it?"

Naruto refused to honor her with a response.

"Do you like it or not!"

_...it'll do."_

Looking back on it however, she'd certainly given _him _an appropriate title...

**A/N: Daaaaw, tsundere Knightwalker! I know, this chapter is rough, short, and not nearly as long as it ought to be. But hey, at least I'm updating again. I had a whole big scene planned, but 's recent banning spree has me second guessing what I should and should not post. HOWEVER, it shall not keep me down! The next chapter's going to be 3x as long, promise! Look forward to it, ya know! **

**Well, Naruto and Erza, or should I say Daybreak and Knightwalker, seem to have formed a tenuous bond of camraderie! Will it last? Will they grow fond of one another over time, or will they be at each others throats in no time at all? Stay tuned to find out!**

**R&R! =D**


	3. Deadlock

**A/N: Omigosh so many reviews! I had no idea you all liked this kickass version of Naruto so much! Which reminds me, as to the pairing...it'll remain Knightwalker...with a twist. I know most of my stories lean toward the harem region, but I'm going to make an exception this time. Here, we'll see just why Naruto followed Knightwalker out of that cell to begin with. Why? Well, that would be telling now, wouldn't it? But I've made you wait long enough! Now...**

**...onto Dawn of Daybreak!**

_"You want me...to hunt fairies?"_

_~Daybreak._

**Deadlock**

"You want me..._to hunt fairies and phantoms?"_

At first, he couldn't believe it. Those words, coming from his mouth, sounded ridiculous. Ludicrous. Absurd! Fairies and Phantoms! Mythical creatures! Ghosts! But he knew that wasn't what she meant. Knightwalker had told him everything of his world, answering all his questions and supplying him with fresh clothes in return for his aid. There was only one problem. Now that Naurto knew she wanted him to hunt after guilds: groups of innocent people whose only crime was using magic, he wasn't so keen on giving that aid. Fairy Tail and Phantom Lord. The sole remaining guilds that hadn't already been 'liberated' by the kingdom. And she wanted him to help her...to 'liberate' them?

And the way he was walking; that brisk pace that set her hips to swaying...was she trying to seduce him?

Just what the devil was this woman _thinking?_

* * *

><p>What the devil was this man <em>doing?<em>

Knightwalker had felt his gaze boring into her ever since she'd first informed him of the objective; now it was searing a hole in her back as she led him away from the armoury and towards the throne room. Honestly, if he was trying to undress her with his eyes, it certainly wasn't working. But he hadn't breathed so much as a word to her since. Were it not for the heavy footfalls of his armour, she would've suspected him to have escaped. On any other day his behavoir rankled. But not today. She could sense him at her elbow, his f

"You want me..._to hunt fairies and phantoms?"_

When he spoke it was so sudden-_so soft-_she nearly missed a step.

Knightwalker stopped in her tracks, her face slowly appearing over her shoulder as she curiously regarded her once former prisoner. A look of irritation crossed her single eye as it regarded the scowling blond, standing directly behind her, refusing to budge so much as an inch. Sighing, she turned to face him.

"Is there a problem?"

_"Ya think?"_

Naruto folded his arms, frowning as his newfound greaves grit together. Gone were the tattered orange rags of before; replaced no by a grand suit of armor. Whereas Knightwalker's attire was made to entice, Daybreak stood in sharp contrast. Sheathe in shining white armor, he was the light to her shadow. The white knight to her black, the shining sword to her spear of shadows. His armor was flawless but for the mark stood upon his chest, were he'd vigorously scrubbed out the marks of the kingdom, its coat of arms, mere moments before. Erza briefly recalled what she'd seen in the armoury; what he looked like underneath all that pristine and poliish; lean and muscular, a flawless body crafted from a brutal training regiment. _Lovely._ Only then did she allow her gaze to drift up to his.

"You want me to hunt with you." It was not a question.

"I figured, but didn't want to assume."

Naruto was suddenly before her, looming, blue eyes blazing.

"And what makes you think I'll agree to your terms that you've given me what I want?" his words were silken, barely a hiss, but they sent gooseflesh crawling up and down Erza's back. Fierce. Wild. Clinging to his code, uncaring if it was a noose. She'd made the right choice after all, letting him out of that cell. The thought had crossed her mind, of course that he might, betray her. But she'd planned for this. She saw the disbelief in his eyes, felt his fury fade, smothered by surprise as she brought both arms up against his chest and _shoved_, driving him back against the wall with her body. She would _not_ be cowed by this man. By _anyone._

"Well, if you won't obey," And here Knightwalker licked her lips laviciously, knowing her words would drive most men mad, "I'll have to p-u-n-i-s-h you."

Daybreak wasn't most men.

"You're welcome to try." He sneered back, uncaring for her tone. "I don't suppose I need to remind how our last scuffle turned out now, do I?"

"Irrelevant." Knightwalker refused to take the bait this time; instead she baited a hook of her own. "You surprised me, that's all." She stood on her tiptoes, moving her face past his, her tongue touching his ear. "Just as I've surprised you." Ah. There. She felt him shudder against her, even through the armor. Incredulity flickered across the blonde's features, the first real sign of indecision since she'd brought him here. And then _pushed_ was the only thing she knew; being flung backwards, the air screaming around her as his open palm struck her stomach, another slapping the spear from her hand.

_Ba-dump._

Knightwalker blinked her surprise, started at the hammering of her heart, startled to find, herself trapped into the bedrock of the wall, their positions reversed. _Fast!_ Even as she ripped an arm from the concrete Naruto was upon her, forcing her down, stradling her. A grunt, and he tore her body from the wall, his hand cupping her outer thigh, tracing between fabric and skin in slow, sinister circles. A low growl fled from Erza's lips, but she refused to give heed to the sensation seariing through her body. _Damnation_! She was supposed to be the tormentor, not the tormented! She was the one in control! Not him! Not_-oh dear kami!_ Knightwalker gasped and abruptly forgot all about control altogether, her hips hiking against his and legs wrapping around his waist, desire taking her as Daybreak's lips took control of her neck, teeth nibbling at her tender flesh. Ouch! He'd bitten her! A small whimper fled from her lips. Daybreak pounced on it. Knightwalker yelped as he seized a fistful of her hair and yanked, dragging her face dangerously close to his.

"What was that bit about being surprised?" Naruto snarled, breath hot her face. "Because from where I'm standing, you look pretty damn speechless to me."

_Cocky litttle shit._

Refusing to be cowed, Erza graced her partner-to-be with a sultry smile as much venom as it was sweetness and raised both arms behind his back; trailing them through his hair and towards his neck. Before the blonde could guess her intent-no, by the time he realized what she meant to do, it was already too late. With a defiant snarl she seized him by the back of the head and dragged him-mouth agape-towards hers, tongue probing violently through his parted lips. It was like flicking a switch.

Erza felt the blond stiffen against her; his body straight as a board. For a moment just a moment she saw it, lightning flashing in his eyes, outrage in his face. She felt the stone wall beyond her shatter, parting before a clenched fist. His fist. _Strong,_ she thought. Resisting the urge to risk a glance over her shoulder she felt herself hiked up once more, legs locking as she was carried backwards through the hole Daybreak had created. It was not until her back met the mattress, until he threw her down upon the sheets, that Knightwalker realized just where they were.

"Bringing me to your room already." He mused for her, his words dripping with derision. "And here I haven't even met your parents yet."

"Orphan." Knightwalker spat the word like it was a curse as she straddled him; because to her it may as well have been. She had been born alone and she would die alone. She'd learned to accept it long ago. She didn't need friends, and she _certainly_ didn't want love. Lust was just fine. Right now she just wanted him. Inside her. Conversation could wait until later.

"Me too." His words were softer, almost sincere. "Well, I thought I was, for awhile."

Erza fought the urge to spit; she didn't want to talk! But she knew she'd never get him to shut up if she stayed silent, so she humoured him.

"Is that so?" she dragged his trousers off, restraining a small whimper as his nimble fingers invitingly plucked at the edge of her panties, straying toward her clit. Tease! "Id never...would've guessed." Just like that, his fingers fell away, denying Knightwalker her release. Erza wanted to scream at him, but she carefully suppressed her emotions as the blond loomed over her.

"What the hell is that supposed to mean?"

"You seem more like a stick-up-the-ass over achiever to me." Knightwalker didn't give her words so much as a second thought; she'd never had the need. Until now. For the first time the blonde's emotionless veneer cracked as he let out a primal hiss of hate. The sound sent shivers down Knighwalker's spine. But nothing, could've prepared her for what came next. Nothing as Naruto _hissed_ at her, his face twisting, contorting in a cold rictus of fury.

"Get off."

"What?"

_"I said get the fuck off!"_ He lashed out and Knigwalker recoiled with a snarl of her own, flopping backwards off the bed and onto the floor. Erza rolled with the blow, surprised by the stinging pain in her cheek. He'd hit her. Struck her! Most women would've wept at that. They would've shed tears and blubbered and bawled. Knightwalker wasn't most women. She took the blow like a huntress her head snapping back like a puppet cut from its strings, tasting blood in her mouth. She spat a bloody gob up at him.

"Bitch," Naruto snarled. "And here I thought we might've had something in common. Apparently not!"

"Aw, did I hurt your feelings?" She sneered up at him from the floor, pleased to have finally found a chink in the man's armor. "Poor baby. You gonna cry?"

This time there was no warning. One minute she was sitting on the cold hard floor. The next he had her on the wall by the hands, both wrists locked together abover her head. There were no iron band encircling them; no shackle of any sort; she'd simply lost the ability to move them. Erza had only an instant to register it then she was on the floor again facefirst, visage pressed into the unyielding stone. Knightwalker balked. Twisted her head around, struggling to comprehend her captor out of the corner of her eye.

"How the bloody hell did you do that?"

"Fuck you, that's how."

Damnit. She squirmed again at his choice of words, at the thought of intimacy, of how close she'd been to coming. To think she'd almost forgotten!

"I think I'd rather like that, actually."

Naruto opened his mouth-snapped it shut again.

"Kami, you're insatiable, aren't you?"

"A lady never tells." Erza wriggled against him, eliciting another shiver. "Now, are you going to be a good boy and untie me?"

Naruto muttered something under his breath, and just like that, her arms belonged to her again. Knightwalker bit back a sigh of relief. Whatever strange powers he wielded, they extended to human bodies as well. She would need to be cautious.

"Much better." she smiled, flexing the numbed muscles beneath them. "Oh, are you still pouting? How precious. It's a good thing you're cute."

"Ha?"

_Shit! Did I say that out loud?!_

"I-I mean for an asshole!" Even as she said it Erza was cursing herself; she'd inadvertantly surrendered the advantage in their little game. And Naruto was grinning.

"You liiiiiiike me."

"Stop rolling your tongue!" Erza slapped at him, but her arms were still weak. She was powerless as the blond pulled her off the floor and onto the bed once more. He kissed her again, softer this time. Slowly. And then her strength came roaring back and her soul was keening with bliss.

Her mind exploded into white as her arms took control, spreading themselves across his back. Sge was so completely taken aback by his kiss that she hardly noticed when his left hand began to cup her firm ass and his right palm took up residence on her jaw. He deepened the kiss as he pressed his body against hers, pushing her back against the nearest wall. Her hands were just as explorative, her nimble fingertips running along his chest and stomach.

Knightwalker grabbed at him by the belt then by his shirt when the former snapped and pulled him further and further onto the bed, her hands tugging at his armour, discarding pieces of it as they went. Naruto, wasn't one to dissapointed either. He pulled her scarf over her head and pushed her gently onto the bed, admiring the look of her near-naked torso in the early morning sunlight. He took off his own shirt, smirking as her eyes danced over his chest. He leaned down and pulled her pants down, revealing a small black thong. He chuckled softly as he saw it.

"What's funny?" she asked as she began undoing his belt.

Naruto merely chortled as lowered his face toward her sex.

"I said, what's so damned—" her words quickly turned into a sharp gasp as her black thong was removed with his teeth

"Asshole!" She snarled up at him, swiping at his boxers, only to gasp as his tongue touched her sensitive flesh.

"Takes one to know one." He laughed as his head drifted above her abdomen.

"That's...not...fair."

"Neither is life." Daybreak countered, elicting a grow from his lover.

"Shut the fuck up and kiss me already!" she ripped his boxers away, removing the last article of clothing between them.

"I only have one pair of those." Naruto sulked.

Uncaring, Erza thrust her lips against his mouth anew, their tongues clashing violently. _Damn him, but she wanted this._ It had been so long since she'd found a partner worthy of arousing her interest, let alone her lust. Naruto had done both in less than a day; stoking a fire in her chest that threatened to burn her very soul to cinders. There had been tension between them to _begin with_ now the air was practically charged with energy. She loved it. Here was a man who could fufill her desires. Who could fufill her. Satisfy her every want and need...yes, her every wish. Hell, she was practically _purring_ beneath him.

"Hurt me." Knightwalker groaned between frantic kisses. "Hurt me before I come."

"The fuck?" Naruto jerked back as if he'd been burned, revealing just how much of his armour she'd stripped away in her frenzy_-naked from the waist up-_but Erza wasn't having any of it. She squirmed restlessly against him; her body burned every instant his fingers weren't on her skin; holding, touching, feeling, thrusting. Hadn't he heard her?

_"Hurt me."_ She pleaded, hauling him forward, pushing a hand into her bosom, the act tearing through her lightly armoured top as though it were naught but paper._ 'Like this.' _Naruto balked at her, incredulous. Then he squeezed. _Hard._ Erza shuddered, reveling in the spikes of ecstasy and agony coursing down her spine. She cooed as he stroked her, _as he bit her;_ screamed into his mouth as her hurt her, savouring on every heartbeat of rapturous enjoyment, writhing as he thrust wildly into her.

"Oooh...my...kami!"

Naruto was still glaring at her when he finally exited her, bloody red daggers boring into her onyx orbs. Chest heaving, he flopped down beside her, bristling only slightly when she curled her body into his chest. She did not care what she thought; Knightwalker didn't. She'd staked her claim on him, marked him as hers. She didn't need love. Didn't want to be loved. Love only hurt. Love only inflicted pain. No, Erza didn't need love. Lust would do just fine. She would take Daybreak as many times as she saw fit, and that was that.

"Satisfied?" He asked, the words soft and silken in her ears.

"For now." Erza couldn't bring herself to sound venemous, not after all that. He'd fufilled her every want and need. "But I must admit, you did surprise me."

"I might have a few surprises left." He chuckled, wiping a strand of saliva from his mouth. "That doesn't change the fact I still won't help you, though"

Knightwalker smirked sleepily, she was already drifting off in his arms.

"I enjoy a challenge."

"You won't enjoy this one." Naruto promised.

Knightwalker disagreed. She had the succint feeling she'd be enjoying this challenge for a long time to come...

_...a long time indeed._

**A/N: Gah! This lemon was hard(and hot!) as hell to write! So there you go! Knighwalker AND Naruto don't very much like one another, but that won't stop them from going at each other like rabid rabbits! Knightwalker has some curious tastes, as I'm sure you've seen. They'll still be butting heads aplenty and won't agree on much of anything, but that's tobe expected this early in the relationship yet. Hopefully she won't get pregnant...**

**To be fair, I've made some minor alterations to the Edolas universe. Naruto has arrived some time before Fairy Tail, meaning Faust hasn't quite quelled all the magical guilds just yet. That includes Phantom ...a minute. The people of this Phantom Lord are the edolas counterparts of their selves. which...which means...Edolas Jose if we see him, won't be a total asshole?! WHAT HAVE I DONE?!**

**Stay tuned! **

**So, in the immortal words of Atlas...**

**...would you kindly review? And enjoy the preview! And prepare to LOL!**

**(Preview)**

_"Heh, so this is Knightwalker's new pet?" Hughes laughed. "He doesn't look like much."_

_Naruto frowned._

_"You sir, are a cheeky dickwaffle."_

_"Eh?"_

_Naruto said nothing more, but he struck like a serpent, yelling his fury and giving his body the sharp countertwist that made his kicks so blindingly fast and powerful. Even Knightwalker, who was looking straight at him, barely saw the strike. Naruto's shin, crushed against Hughe's knee. Crushed it backward. The crunching squish of a joint being obliterated split the sudden silence._

_Hughes crumpled to the ground, gawping, gasping, eyes agape._

_"What have you done?!" He shouted at Naruto, aghast, clutching at the ruined limb. "What. Have. You. Done!"_

_"Side characters should be quiet." Naruto observed softly. His now-scarlet gaze slid across Sugar Boy and Byro, raking over them like hot coals. "Anymore questions?"_

_"N-No sir!"_

_"Impressive." Knightwalker observed as the pair escorted the wailing Hughes from of the room. "I think we might get along afer all, you and I." Naruto refused to face her. "Oi." She frowned, glowering when the blond refused to respond. "Are you even listening to me? Daybreak!" She reached for him, her fingers closing upon a pristine shoulder-_

_'That was a mistake.'_

_This was her only thought, her only existence, as Daybreak rounded on her._

_"Now you listen, and you listen good." Naruto growled, his words deep and dark in her ear. "I followed you out of that cell that day because I was bored. Do you hear me? Bored. I owe you nothing. If do I owe you any thing, it's a beating for all that you've put me through. I'll talk to you. I'll work with you. Wouldn't mind banging you a few more times, either. Hell, I might even come to like you, in time. But I will not, help hunt down innocent people, just to keep this shitty kingdom, and its shitty king on their throne and thriving. Do you understand?"_

_"Y-You cannot-_

_"I will do as I please, Knightwalker." The atmosphere between them was charged, rife with tension. "For I am Daybreak! You may walk in the night, but I break in the day! And as such, I shall bring light to this country, dispelling its darkness with hope!" He gave Knightwalker a shove and knocked her backwards, hard enough to stagger. "__Even if I must overcome you!"_

_There was a silence. Knightwalker's lower lip trembled._

_"So...this means no more sex, right?"_

_Naruto face-vaulted._

_"Of course we can still have sex! You think I'd give that up so easily?!"_

**R&R! =D**


	4. Memories of You

**A/N: Omigosh so many reviews! I had no idea you all liked this kickass version of Naruto so much! Which reminds me, as to the pairing...it'll remain Knightwalker...with a twist. I know most of my stories lean toward the harem region, but I'm going to make an exception this time. Here, we'll see just why Naruto followed Knightwalker out of that cell to begin with. Why? Well, that would be telling now, wouldn't it? But I've made you wait long enough! Nearly a year now! So I intend to get things moving with a brilliant chapter! Now...**

**...onto Dawn of Daybreak!**

_"You think I'd give up so easily?!"_

_~Daybreak._

**Memories of You**

"Heh, so this is Knightwalker's new pet?" Hughes laughter grated on Erza's ears out of nowhere, his words full of mockery and cynicism. "He doesn't look like much."

Knightwalker immediately knew those words wouldn't-couldn't-be taken back. Not by Hughes. On one level she was looking forward to this; on the other, she was afraid Naruto might break the castle! Sure enough, her beloved Daybreak slowed to a halt beside her, taking his armored fingers from around her waist, fingers trailing across the dip of her waist with almost audible intent. They'd been on their was to see the king for what'd probably be another boring debriefing when they'd encountered the trio heading in their direction. Erza knew Byro and Sugar Boy weren't so foolish as to say anything about Daybreak, but Hughes was...well, Hughes. It was bound to happen sooner or later, but he'd said something stupid the moment he'd laid eyes on the blond.

"Ignore him." she sighed as they walked past, knowing all the while that her words would fall to the wayside. "He's not worth the effort."

...fine." Naruto grunted, his features pinched in aggravation. Surprising. She'd half-expected him to break Hughes's nose for that snarky remark. That he had successfully restained himself told her He must be in a good mood. And why shouldn't he be?! _She_ was with him after all. Despite all the animosity Daybreak held towards fighting fairies and purging phantoms, in face of all the disparity they experienced on a day-to-day basis, he was just good company over all. Quite pleasurable company. Sour one moment, then sweet the next. And above all...Knightwalker simply loved to rile him.

"I thought for sure you'd explode." she whispered, rasing her lips to his ear.

"Nice to see you think so lititle of me." Naruto snapped back at her, but his words lacked rancour; even moreso as wrapped an arm around her waist and drew her close into his chest. "But you really do care...don't you Erza? For what its worth, I appreciate the gesture."

"U-Urusai, baka!" She snapped her gaze aside with a hiss, face flaming. "They'll hear you..."

"I don't have a problem with that." he purred, "Do you?"

"Not really...

Perhaps it was the afterglow of his gaze clouding her judgement but in that moment-Knightwalker found genuine enjoyment there in his arms. It was not an unpleasant feeling. There was just something different about being held when you weren't all hot and sticky from making love that felt...right. _Gentle, even._ Naruto could've easily crushed her spine with his superhuman strength, yet instead he cradled her against him, his arm all but encircling her chest, pulling her face forward into his armor. Incredibly, she could his heart beating, even through the thick metal plating; its steady rhythm whispered comofort and reassurance, reminding Erza that for all those who hated her, there was one man who still cared. Someone just had to ruin it, though.

"Apparently he's a coward, too." Hughes called at their backs.

It was like flicking a switch.

Naruto spun around and retracted his arms from her, molars grinding together in a rare bout of anger.

"That does it!"

"Daybreak, don't." Erza laid a restraining arm upon his shoulder. Naruto threw it off.

"You're not the boss of me, Knightwalker."

Her pride irked, she challenged him still further. "As I recall, you agreed to listen to me, remember?"

Like an iron trap, Naruto's gaze locked onto her own. The sheer intensity of his stare, the sudden ice in his expression, was enough to silence any doubts she might have pertaining to his state of mind. In that instant of terror. Nothing moved. Nothing breathed. Nothing at figure seemed to all but swallow up the darkness of their halls, light shimmering around the edges of his shoulders. And then he spoke, voice black as pitch, eyes cold as the coldest winter.

"I," he hissed out softly, "Am going to fucking _enjoy_ hurting him. Understand? Hey! Pretty-boy!"

"What was that?!"

Growling, Naruto stalked back the way they'd come. Even without his armor Knightwalker's whiskered warrior stood a good head taller than Hughes. With his shining suit of gold, he was practically a giant. And as she'd experienced during the last few weeks, his temper was just like a giant's...truly something to be feared. Nearly a month had passed now since she'd first gotten the blond into her bed -not to mention her!- and although he had yet to meet the infamous trio, there was a first time for everything.

Naruto frowned, leering down on the fool who'd dared insult him. This Hughes character didn't look like much at all. In fact...

"You sir, strike me as a cheeky dickwaffle."

_"Eh?"_

Naruto said nothing more, but he struck like a serpent, yelling his fury and giving his body the sharp countertwist that made his kicks so blindingly fast and powerful. Even Knightwalker, who was looking straight at him, barely saw the strike. Naruto's shin crushed against Hughe's knee. Crushed it backward. The crunching squish of a joint being obliterated split the sudden silence. It took everything Erza had not to guffaw openly; she'd known Naruto was going to give the man a beating, but the last thing she'd expected was for him to cripple the spiteful fool in such a manner. It was hilarious! Not to mention incredibly arousing.

Hughes crumpled to the ground, gawping, gasping, eyes agape.

"What have you done?!" He shouted at Naruto, aghast, clutching at the ruined limb. "What. Have. You. Done!"

"Side characters should be quiet." Naruto observed softly. His now-scarlet gaze slid across Sugar Boy and Byro, raking over them like hot coals. "Would you care to add anything?"

"N-No sir!"

"Then shut the hell up and get out of my way." He pushed do

"Impressive." Knightwalker observed as the pair escorted the wailing Hughes from of the room. "I didn't know you intended on embarassing him like that." Naruto refused to face her, much to the redhead's displeasure. "Oi." She frowned, glowering when the blond refused to respond. "Are you even listening to me? Daybreak!" She reached for him, her fingers closing upon a pristine shoulder-

_'That was a mistake.'_

This was her only thought, her only existence, as Daybreak rounded on her, violet pupils narrow and fierce. Honestly, his eyes changed more than his temper! What had he called them? Rinne-something. Ah! Rinnegan, that was it! She'd seen him grind unsuspecting guards to gory smears with just a glance; now she was terribly aware he could do the same to her if he so chose.

"Now you listen, and you listen good." Naruto growled, his words deep and dark in her ear. "I followed you out of that cell that day because I was bored. Do you hear me? Bored. I owe you nothing. If do I owe you any thing, it's a beating for all that you've put me through. I'll talk to you. I'll work with you. Wouldn't mind banging you a few more times, either. Hell, I might even come to like you, in time. But I will not, help hunt down innocent people,I will not tolerate being talked down to, just to keep this shitty kingdom, and its shitty king on their throne and thriving! Do you understand?"

Erza blustered in surprise; where was all this coming from all of a sudden?!

"Y-You cannot-

"I will do as I please, Knightwalker." The atmosphere between them was charged, rife with tension. "For I am Daybreak! You may walk in the night, but I break in the day! And as such, I shall bring light to this country, dispelling its darkness with hope!" He gave Knightwalker a shove and knocked her backwards, hard enough to stagger. "Even if I must overcome you!" With that said he stormed away, leaving Erza to her own thoughts of disbelief and betrayal. She w After all this, he'd just turn his back on her? Just like that? No! NO! She would not accept this!

"Daybreak!" She growled!" Get back here! This instant!"

Naruto kept walking, she could see his broad back receding further and further into the distance. Further from her. Something inside Erza trembled. Shook itself at the part.

"Naruto...?" The blonde froze at the rare usage of his name.

There was a silence. Knightwalker's lower lip trembled.

"So...this means no more sex, right?"

Naruto face-vaulted hard enough to shatter the stone floor itself. In an instant he was stand there before her; it was as if he'd pushed the air itself to hasten his arrival. Strong arms closed around the joints of her arms and shoulders, holding her fast and firm, rooting her in place.

"Of course we can still have sex! You think I'd give that up so easily?!"

Erza almost giggled in her relief; what was this delight she felt? It was so...unlike her! For heart-stopping moment she'd thought he seriously meant to leave this world. To leave her. Having realized he'd meant no such thing brought of a wave of pure arduous joy to her soul, climaxing in a singe, soft-sounding.

"Yay!"

Knightwalker and Daybreak gawped at one another, each unable to believe what'd just come out of her mouth.

"Wow." Naruto's lips quirked in a slight smile at her almost girlish delight. "That's probably the most ladylike thing you've said all month." Erza wanted to slap him in that instant...but she resisted. Barely. She didn't yet know it but Daybreak had already done it; he'd already broken the night surrounding her. If only just a little. It was already the beginning of the end. That little concession would soon lead to another, and another, then still another, until the bitter old hag she'd once been became the young woman she truly was.

This was only the first of many moments to come.

* * *

><p>"SUNUVABITCH!"<p>

Erza rolled on the ground, writhing in agony, clutching at her still numbed arm. Naruto stood over her, proud and triumphant, his smug smile practically demanding her to stand up again. Damn him! Damn her for even thinking of this in the first place! The dark of the room seemed to spread around her, ready to consume her at a moments noitice. She stubbornly refused to give in, instead glaring bloody red daggers at the unarmored adversary leering back at her, his hand tracing the faint scratch she'd given his cheek. Even as she looked on the thin cut healed, the injury tracing itself shut as though it'd never been.

"I thought you said this would be a challenge." he mocked. "Barely even felt that one.

"No fair using your powers, fucker!" she hissed between breaths.

"I love it when you talk dirty." was his reply.

Gritting her teeth, Knightwalker battled back the urge to spit at him and rose to her feet. She could've easily called in the guards and had him thrown back in the cell for that remark-but she didn't. For the some strange reason she didn't enjoy it as much as she once had. What she _did_ enjoy however, was sparring. So too, did Naruto. One of the few things he would consent to were these training sesisions, it was a good way to blow off steam and nine times out ten ended in mind-scorchingly hot sex for the both of them. It made for a fine compromise as far as Knightwalker was concerned. And if King Faust never learned about them, who cared?

"I'm gonna knock that smug smile right off your face."

"Heard that one before."

He did something with his eyes again, and an invisible force met her halfway, stopping her fist mere inches from his face. Naruto's lips curled in a slight smile. _"Shinra Tensei." _Seconds later Knigthwalker bit out a curse as her back greeted the unyielding wall of the great room, the stone cratering against her armor. And yet all she felt was exhileraiton. She might hate Naruto's so-called chakra but she'd never deny she secretly reveled in the challenge his uniques abilities afforded her. While Magic was finite in this world, his own energy constantly regenerated, providing a nearly endless resevoir to test herself against. Was it so wrong that she knew it couldn't last? Sooner or later, Naruto would grow tired of this place and try to leave. He was just a civilian after all.

For now. The seeds of a thought had just been planted in her mind...he might hate her for it, but it would be a fine tradeoff for the both of them, she reassured herself.

"Rematch?"

"You're on, fool!"

Erza laughed and lunged at him; her lips caught his in a flying kiss, caging his mouth to hers, dragging their bodies to the ground.

A fine tradeoff indeed.

* * *

><p>"You may thank me, peasant!"<p>

"And just what am I to be thankful for, Erz?" Naruto creaked open a sleepy iris as she stood over him the next morning. They'd slept in separate beds the night before; Knightwalker having cited some work she needed to tend to personally. He hadn't thought much of it personally. Now he was begining to wonder what she was up to. She looked so damned pleased with herself he could help but to wonder. It must be something big,or she wouldn't have bothered to come to him in the first place.

"You've been granted a comission to serve in the King's army as my second-in command." Erza said smugly, as though this explained everything.

"Kinda thought I was already doing that."

"Yes, but now its official!" she explained to him, putting emphasis into You're allowed to stay in the castle! With me!"

"Meaning I'm not allowed to leave without authorization."

Her smile slipped slightly.

"Yes, well...

"Also meaning until now, you were ashamed to have me around in public."

"What? Why are we arguing semantics?

"Is that so?" Naruto's smile turned itself upside down. "How...reassuring." Without another words, he rolled over, tossed her body off the bed, and went back to sleep. Knightwalker stared at his slumbering form, unable to comprehend what had just happened. One moment he'd been patiently waiting for her words. Now...he acted as if she'd just given him a death sentence! She didn't understand!

"What's wrong with you?"

"Its...nothing."

Erza would always remember that sad expression; his dissapointment would torment her dreams for weeks on end.

* * *

><p>"Stop being pissed at me!"<p>

Naruto's head snapped back to regard her icily from where he sat. Erza wanted to smack him! She almost did! But her mind knew what her body did not; to strike Daybreak now would simply prove him right. That she had confined him here to the castle for her sake, not his. And more than anything, Knightwalker refused to admit that.

"Whoever said I was sulking?"

"You've been sitting in this room for a week now!" she snapped at him, indicating his sorry state. "You haven't said anything! You won't touch your food or drink! Your body is just withering away! I believe that qualifies as sulking!" The outburst she'd been expecting never came; she'd wasted her breath on him yet again. What more did he want from her?! A confession? Well, she wouldn't give him one! She was Erza Knightwalker! She would stay strong! She would...

"Do you know what happens when you clip a bird's feathers?" Naruto's sudden question caught her off guard.

"No, I don't."

_"It dies."_ he let the words hang there between them, a guillotine lurking high over their heads. "I'm not some pet for you to play with at your amusement, Knightwalker. Nor am I pawn for you to use as you see fit. I'm a human!" she opened her mouth to reply and her jerked upwards, his body uncoling like a cobra, exploding into violent motion. "And I expected, to be treated as such!" Despite his emaiciated frame, there was far too much strength left in those arms; they clamped around her shoulders like twin fangs, sinking deep into her skin, threatening to send all her feelings leaking out.

"Do you understand, Erza?"

"I...

Naruto's mouth snapped shut on the words, awaiting her response.

"I...wanted you to stay by my side." she could barely force the words through her tears. "Was that so wrong of me?"

Another silence hung between them, softer this time.

"No, it wasn't wrong of ya." He shook his head. "Just don't try to confine me next time." He kissed her then, his lips touching hers for the lightest instant. "But on another note...

...do you have any food?"

The very next day, Daybreak devoured seven days worth of food in a single night.

* * *

><p>"Hey."<p>

Naruto looked up from the magazine he'd been reading. Edolas Digest. For a shitty magic-stealing kingdom with an asshole for a king, they had a surprising amount of literature. But that wasn't the point. The point was among other things, that Erza hadn't had his ass tossed back into the cell for doing basically nothing for-what was it?-six months now? He'd flatly refused to help her in any and all regards to the hunting of innocent and powerless mages, badmouthed the king, and he was still alive. Granted, there was nothing they could do to harm him thanks to these newfounds eyes of his...but still! But he digressed. Having little else to do, now that he'd made up with Erza and received permission to come and go as he pleased within and without the castle, he and Kurama had taken to reading to pass the time when they weren't training.

Until a certain redhead had interrupted them.

**"Well damn."** the kitsune whistled in his head, prompting his partner to see what had caught the old bastard's eye.

_Waw._

Knightwalker was looking at him most strangely. Come to think of it, she was _dressed_ strangely, too. He almost didn't recognize her; with her hair down and out of armor-that unruly curtain of crimson boiling down her back to nearly reach her knees, a few stray bangs held captive before her dark hazel-brown eyes. In place of her armor and tunic she'd turned to someting downright simple, having donned a pair of black sweats and a crimson tee emblazoned with the words "Hot B***h" proudly upon the bosom. Gods, she was just begging him to remove it!

Where the devil had her armor and ponytail gone? Now that he thought of it what was she even doing here in the study in the first place? Shouldn't she be out raising hell while he secretly supported the resistances, or something? Had she found

Ah.

Now Naruto remembered. Today was one of those vacation days she'd been taking with increasing frequency as of late, days when she didn't scour the kingdom for the remaining magical guilds, Fairy Tail. She too held a book in her hand. She hid it behind her back before he could see the cover but he did catch a glimpse at a single word. Parenthood. Wait a second! What the devil was she doing with a book like that? Erza never, ever read anything outside of combat manueals. Swallowing the rising bile in his throat, Naruto folded the magazine in his lap and fixed the ravishing redhead with his most placid stare.

"Yeah?"

Knightwalker squirmed beneath his gaze, her cheeks dusted the lightest

"H-How do you feel about kids?"

_Kids?_

He had a vivid vision of little Erza's running around at his feet. Ordinarily such a thought would've pleased him to no end. But then he realized he could barely handle one Knightwalker, and just the thought of raising an entire horde of them...made him just a touch uncomfortable! Daughters! Just the thought made him shudder! Oh and lord help him if he had a son! He'd been such a little hellraiser when he was young! If his kid turned out anything like him...

Naruto promptly blew a smoke ring and passed out before he could finish the thought. Knightwalker blinked at him in disbelief.

"Daybreak?!"

* * *

><p>"Daybreak!"<p>

Knightwalker snarled his name in the same vein as his fist closed around her arm, restraining her from dropping one Lucy Heartfilia to her death. His eyes were like chips of diamond, boring deep into her soul. She held back her feelings, refusing to let them surface in the midst of this silent contest. Naruto's gaze strayed to those of his fellow blonde, his teeth flashing in a disarming smile.

"You'll have to forgive her, miss." she has an awful temper sometimes. Now, Erza-chan...

"Let. Go." he hissed.

"Fine!"

Even as Naruto realized his mistake and improper words, Erza released her grip upon Lucy's wrists, leaving her to plummet into the nothingness below. Naruto's cry of disapproval cut like a knife through her heart...just before a winged blur cut across her falling figure at the last instant and carried her back up into the heavens. Baffled, the blonde let them go, unable to believe their luck. Or was it luck at all?

"Just now...you knew the exceeds were there, didn't you?" he asked.

Erza refused to admit that she had, instead she glanced in the opposite direction.

"You're too soft, Naruto...

When Erza turned to look again, he was gone.

* * *

><p>Knightwalker couldn't believe it; she had lost. And no just to anyone, but herself! Herself! Her own double! To Erza Scarlet. Here she lay battered and beaten, her clothes stolen by that faux doppleganger of herself. The thought of it made her seethe, causing her fingers to dig into the single towel left behind her counterpart, drawing blood. Curses! Curse herself! Curse the king! Using the Anima to exract magic from Earthland had been his idea, and it had given them nothing but trouble from the beginning! Now this new, Earthland Fairy Tail, was tearing everything down around their ears.<p>

"Knightwalker?"

Her auburn gaze snapped up at the sound of Daybreak's voice; her gaze darting this way and that in a vain attempt to find where it was emanating from. Where the devil had he been hiding all this time? Watching their fight no doubt, kono hentai! When she startled, slightly alarmed to find the blonde materializing from the stone walls floor several feet away her, its surface rippling like so much water before his passage. He looked just as though he'd just seen a ghost.

"But didn't I just pass you?" he glanced back at the corridor from whence he'd come.

"That was Scarlet, idiot!"

"Oh god, then that means I kissed-

"YOU DID WHAT?!"

"How I was supposed to know?!" Naruto sighed. "She looked just like ya! You even smelled the same! Although she wasn't nearly as good a kisser as you..."

"Oh?" That lightened her spirits a bit. "Wait..._SHE_ KISSED YOU?!"

"Yeah...here" He tossed her a fresh set of clothes. "Make yourself decent before you destroy that towel."

Knightwalker practically snarled as snatched them out of his grasp. No one kissed her man! No one! Certainly not this two-timing imposter! Snarling, she snatched a knife from his nearby thigh holster and brutally cut it across her crimson locks, slashing them to shoulder length. She felt a pang of loss at her beautiful red hair, but this was the only way-the only way to be absolutely certain that Naruto would never again mistake Scarlet for her, his rightful lover.

"Waw," Naruto purred behind her. "You look good even with short hair."

"Thanks," she allowed herself a brief moment of tenderness before the red-hot rage came boiling back in. "Now...

"I SWEAR TO GOD IMMA KILL HER!"

"No."

"What?" Knightwalker was brought up short by his words. What was he talking about? Where was the sense in this?

"I said no." Naruto repeated sternly. "I won't let you kill yourself. Erza is Erza, no matter where she comes from."

"You fiend...are you saying you care for her just as much as me?!"

"Exactly! How could I hurt someone with your face-huh?"

Naruto blinked, alarmed to find a splotch of red spreading across his stomach. Knightwalker leered at him, realizing too late what she had done. In her fury she'd stabbed him witht he very knife that he'd given her. She stared at him for a long moment, unable to believe what she'd just done.

"Er...za...?"

Knightwalker didn't look back; she just ran. She fled, fleeing from him as fast as her legs could take her...

* * *

><p><em>"DIE, BITCH!"<em>

Scarlet didn't understand why Knightwalker was so angry; or how she'd become so powerful. Knightwalker's spear seemed to swell before her vision, growing closer and closer despite her best attempts to ward it off. These people of Edolas were insane! They'd run into one another hours later; now her doppleganger was coming at her hard and fast. Spears clashed with armor time and time and still time again, each seeking the advantage over the other but to no avail, for all the forms of her spear, the other Erza was able to match her evenly.

"What's your problem?!" Scarlet demanded as she hastily fended of a trio of strikes from the deadly spear.

_"You!"_

They fought for what felt like an eternity; it might've been only a few minutes but to Knightwalker it was far longer. Finally they pulled out all the s summoned their most powerful

They collided with all their might, her ultimate spear against Scarlet's strongest armor. Both shattered.

Pain.

Knightwalker was left reeling in the aftermath, her outfit torn to pieces-her mind swimming as she clutched the shattered shaft of her weapon. The Ten Commandments spear had been broken? No! _No!_ She hadn't been beaten again! She hadn't! Refusing upon refusal, she glared bloody red daggers at Scarlet. Her sole solace was that the other her had also lost her final armour in their final collision. But this wasn't over. It would never be over so long as one of them was still standing. Never! And Knightwalker would never be the one to admit defeat.

"I may be out of magic...

...but I won't lose to you!"

Shrieking, she cast her broken weapon down and lunged at Scarlet, grappling with her.

"I can't lose! For the sake of Naruto, I will not lose!"

"Ho?" Despite herself, Scarlet smiled. "A little while ago you were going on about eternal magic. Now its Naruto? Perhaps you are a little like me after all-

_**"YAKAMASHI!"**_

They fought against one another, barehanded, striving for the edge and finding none. They were too drained. Too tired.

"Why did you have to exist?!" Knightwalker screamed as she strove against her weakened self. "Everything was fine before you came along!" She struck out wildly, knocking her other self to the floor, clenched knuckles barreling into her face. "He was happy with me! Then you showed up and poisoned him with your lies! Now you're confusing him!"

"That's not my fault!" Scarlet snarled as she was forced to the ground. "Your Anima brought us here! Besides, I didn't know he was yours!"

Knightwalker wasn't listening.

"I refuse!" she roared, wrapping her fingers around Scarlet's throat. "I refuse to fucking let you have him!"

"Won't you just listen?!" Erza bucked, freeing herself of the chokehold, locking her counterpart into a full nelson, one her doppleganger just as easily broke.

"No." Knightwalker growled, wresting her screaming self down, burying beneath layer upon layer of rigid order. "I will not. He's mine! Mine, do you hear me?! I won't share him with anyone else! Even myself!" The island upon which they fought began to fall, deprived of it equlibrium. "Even if I run out magic and die, you still can't have him! DO YOU HEAR ME?!"

"You can't have him...

_...you just can't..._

"Look at us!" Scarlet snapped! "We ran out of magic a long time ago! Even so, people won't just die! Instead they overcome all their weakness and fear! They have strength in them! Listen, Erza! You've got the same evil and weakness in you that I do! So you must also have that same heart...which is capable of loving others! That's why you love him! That's why you're willing to fight for him! To die for him! Just as I am! Listen to to yourself! Listen to that voice with all your heart!

_This Erza...is she really me as well?_

That was her last thought before the island crashed into the earth.

* * *

><p>It was over. Faust had been defeated, so too had his Dorma Anim. Now all the magic stolen by the Anima was being returned to Earthland, millions of bright lights lit the starry sky as they were returned to their former places in the wrold. She'd made peace with Scarlet just before the Reverse Anima had returned her and her friends to Earthland as well. All was as it should be. Knightwalker didn't have a problem with any of that. She did, however, have a different problem.<p>

Naruto had come to find her broken, battered body. Even after she'd stabbed him, he'd stil come for her. Again, that wasn't the problem.

_This was._

"Oh." he swore suddenly, blinking as he cradled her in his arms. "Well, I wasn't expecting this...

Knightwalker blinked in surprise; because her beloved was now glowing as well! It was as if his body were being lit from within, the light carrying him away from her. His feet were slowly leaving the ground, it was as if he'd kept himself rooted this entire time through force of will. But that will was beginning to falterwith each passing second he drifted further and further away from her. Desperate, she grabbed at his hand, tethering to him Edolas, and not the sky. It wouldn't last. Even now she could feel him slipping out of her grip, ascending into the sky...

"So you're leaving me, too?" Erza felt the tears budding in her eyes. NO! She wouldn't let him! She wouldn't! "After all this?"

"Hey, its not like I asked to leave, ya know?" Naruto sighed, she could she him struggling just to hold onto her hand. "I don't know what's going on either...

"Damnit," she felt the tears coming again, this time she was powerless to stop them. "Don't go! I love you!"

Something about those words rocked him to the core, she could see it in the way the sage's sorrowed smile resolved itself into a stern frown.

"Erza...don't move."

Knightwalker didn't have time to blink. She barely even breathed before the blond jerked a hand toward his face, most specifically, his thumb. Sharp canine teeth bit down. _Hard._ Blood spurted between them but before Erza could ask what he meant to do, her partner whipped out a scroll from his pack, the parchment unfurling as he jerked his arm violently towards her. With a rustling his his thumb rippled across the blank surface like water, franticaly scrawling letters across the pristine surface. Her curiousity and sorrow mounting, Knighwalker opened her mouth to could ask him what he meant to do-

Daybreak flung it at her. She felt herself being compacted, growing smaller, her body shrinking to a pinpoint of brilliance and then-

_Darkness._

* * *

><p><em>Daybreak.<em>

This was Knightwalker's first thought as something tore her from the blackness of the void and returned her to the world. _Wet._ That was her second as she struck the muddy soil, her body instinctively curling against it, whatever it was that had brought her back. _Cold._ Her third thought was thus as the raindrops struck her skin, sending silent shivers shooting down her spine. She was full-sized once more, and others were crowding on her, encroaching upon her personal space. She couldn't see their faces, cloaked in shadow as they were.

"What's she doing here?" a familiar voice asked.

_Scarlet?_

And then she had no time for further thought; because Daybreak was nudging the others aside.

They stepped aside for her, and not a moment too soon, because the former fairy hunter launched herself at the blond faster than any magical bullet could ever hope, her arms wrapping around his neck in a loving hug. Her arms tightened around him and her breathing quickened, her breasts heaving up and down against his chest, mingling with the sound of her sobs, and of her tears. _Ah, love. _Naruto stiffened only for an instant, surprise scrawing across her every feature, then he grabbed her up in his arms and whirled her around_, _saying her name over and over as if he wanted to hear it forever.

"Erza...

A moment.

The run of a sandglass.

A sliver of time. How long? Erza Knightwalker could not have said. But when she emerged from that coccoon of safety where nothing mattered but that she was safe and loved within the circle of arms, the fairies were still gawping at the two of them, at this scene, straight out of a fairy tale. The irony was not lost on her. She blinked as he reached down to touch her face, his fingers cradling her cheek gently, fearfully, almost as if he had to be certain of it; terrified she would vanish into a dream. Then he rushed forward, snatching her up in his arms, kissing her with an urgency that almost overwhelmed her.

Knightwalker felt the tears before she realize she was crying. Here, safe in his arms. Tears of joy. Of relief. Of everyting. Here. The only place she could really truly call...

_Home._

**A/N: And there we are! It's been far too long since I touched this story! I decided to go with a different format in this chapter, focusing on Naruto and Knightwalker's slowly budding relationship. Think its over? WRONG! The hilarity has only just begun!**

**So...in the immortal words of Atlas...**

**...Review...Would You Kindly...? And of course Enjoy the Preview!**

**(Preview)**

_Erza twiddle her thumbs nervously as she approached her favorite. How was she going to tell him this? No! Don't hesitate! Be strong! Just come right out and say it!_

_"Naruto..._

_The shinobi looked up from his pushups._

_"Hmm?"_

_...I'm pregnant."_

_There was a silence. Then:_

_"What?"_

**R&R! =D**


	5. What I Love About You

**A/N: Omigosh so many reviews! I had no idea you all liked this kickass version of Naruto so much! Which reminds me, as to the pairing...it'll remain Knightwalker...with a twist. I know most of my stories lean toward the harem region, but I'm going to make an exception this time. Here, we'll see just why Naruto followed Knightwalker out of that cell to begin with. Why? Well, that would be telling now, wouldn't it? But I've made you wait long enough! Nearly a year now! So I intend to get things moving with a brilliant chapter! Now...**

**...onto Dawn of Daybreak!**

_"Na-Naruto...I have something to tell you!"_

_~Daybreak._

**What I Love About You**

In hingsight, adjusting to life in Earthland proved surprisingly easy for Erza.

That didn't mean it felt right.

Makarov and the guild readily accept her as one of their own, and Naruto alongside her. With his abilities, the man was already something of a legend amongst Scarlet and the others. They didn't care whether his ability derived from chakra or magic; nor the fact that he'd refused to join unless Knightwalker was admitted as well. Family was family. You never turned your back on them. That suited them just fine.

Not so much for Knightwalker. Joining a Guild, rather than working to annihilate one, swiftly proved was an exercise in patience for the redhead, but it was a work in progress. It was even more uncomfortable when she knew half the faces there. These Earthland mages were amazingly _strong_ not unlike their Edolas counterparts. And Scarlet! She had thought the woman was something before but the way she ruled over Natsu and Gray with an iron fist, alongside her love of strawberry shortcake-something they both loved!-continued to remind the redhead that her own doppleganger wasn't so different after all.

Still, the Master had accepted her wholeheartedly, and with Naruto at her side, what more could she ask for?

Yet despite that fact, sometimes she still woke up crying at night. Last time it had taken Naruto nearly an hour to calm her down. It was strange. She'd never been this emotional before...what the devil was wrong with her?!

Somehow, Knightwalker couldn't help but feel like a child who'd been kicked out of home by a father who was now too busy raising a new family to care for the older one. She'd been usurped. Her home was gone, and she could never go back. Not with the Anima destroyed. She was effectively stranded here, a stranger in a distant land, with nothing-not even magic!-to call her own. Naruto would always be there for her though-more than a comrade and an ally at arms, more to her than someone with whom she shared her sheets. Someone she loved.

Naruto didn't want to be anything less, apparently.

Ever since her soft confession to him back on Edolas, their fragile rapport of sex intermingled with the occasional violent spat had begun to strengthen. One might even call it a real relationship now. Granted, he hadn't brought her chocolates or flowers and he _certainly_ hadn't taken her on a date, but he made her feel special. Loved. Hell, if he could forgive her for _stabbing him_ in a fit of jealous rage, she was fairly certain he could an would forgive her for just about anything. Not that she was willing to test those limits, mind you!

Nowadays, she was even almost-almost!-comfortable with him in public. When he wasn't pounding the basics of chakra-or something else!-into her very flesh she found him to be quite devoted. A one woman man, who had no interest in polygamy or anything of the sort. He wanted her and her alone.

No. One. Else.

Erza's heart raced at the thought. Her soul soared and blossomed like a budding rose in a midsummer heat. Once again, she was reminded just why she loved this insufferable man. _Ohhhh_ did she love him. His feelings for her were soul-shattering and hers earth shaking. As much as she might loathe to admit it, she'd gladly move mountains for him. She'd never say it aloud-not in front of others!-but she was utterly his. Mind, body an soul. Perhaps she had been his from the moment they'd met-and he hers-but hadn't realized it until fate had threatened to tear them apart.

She almost didn't realize where her feet were carrying her until she slammed into someone. Muttering an apology, she stepped around them without a second glance. She'd been wandering around Magnolia for most of the day with little else to do until Naruto finished his surprise. Yes, surprise. He'd been ecstatic about it when asked but had given her very little detail in that regard. He told her to simply "have some girl time" with her fellow mages whilst he made the preparations. She'd fucked him senseless trying to weedle the information out of him, but he hadn't uttered so much as a peep! Infuriating!

Not to mention the whole idea of "girl time" was completely lost on Knightwalker. Lucy's idea of it was shopping, Levy's writing, Bisca shooting, Juvia was too busy fawning over Gray for such things and Scarlet? Scarlet had surprisingly, offered her a spar. One that ended decisively in her favor with Knightwalker's Ten Commandment Spear still in shambles. Supposedly Naruto had a plan to fix the damned thing but those asides, If that was Scarlet's idea of girl time then she was welcome to it! She'd only ever accept defeat from Naruto, and even then only begrudgingly.

No one else!

As if to mock that very sentiment, someone grabbed the hem of her dress. That irked Knightwalker. Ordinarily she preferred to wear armor, but Naruto had been insistent-one of the few hints he'd leaked to her. He told her to dress up and so she had. Wear something nice, he'd said. So she'd tried to do just that. But she hadn't anything to wear! It wasn't as though she'd brought her wardrobe along from Edolas and since she lacked a job or any sort of funds to procure one...she was stuck.

She'd been in quite the pickle until Scarlet had stepped in. You can have one of mine, she'd said. No chage she sait! Now here she was out on the town, clad in a little black number that would've left most men drooling, and others dead of nosebeleeds. That was of course, the point. Knightwalker cut a striking figure in that little black dress with pumps -she'd never be caught dead wearing heels!- and alone at night on a deserted street was just asking for trouble.

"Release me at once," she hissed, unwilling to risk tearing the expensive garment. Scarlet would give her hell!

"Hey now," her accoster purred, "What's the hurry?" It was the man from before, she realize,d belated. He was handsome in a way, pale skin and black eyes, tall, dark and handsome. She might've even found him cute if she didn't have a certain blond warming his sheets. As it were his stare was a tad unnerving, all the excuse she needed to shake herself free from his affections.

"Not interested, already taken." Knightwalker replied tersely, wasting no time in dismissing him-this eerie stranger she'd encountered. Ha! The look on his face! Priceless. She might not be much of a sadist anymore but that didn't mean she couldn't take pleasure from the little things. Unfortunately, the fool didn't know when to take a hint. Why were the men of this realm so stupidly stubborn? Was this fool not used to rejection? Didn't he know how to take a hint?

"C'mon now, don't be like that." There was a touch of anger in his tone. "I just want to talk." It unnerved Knightwalker. Ordinarily she'd have murdered him by now but _noooooo_, apparently Fairy Tail frowned on that! A bunch of sissies, they were! If you killed your enemies, they couldn't get up to threaten you again! She'd had difficulty conforming to that policy as of late.

"You see, my...benefactor has me looking for someone. Someone with blond hair and blue eyes. He was last seen in this area. Or I suppose I should say, universe. Perhaps you've heard of him?"

_Universe? What is he talking about? And why is he after Naruto-hey! Watch the hands, buddy!_

"Oh no no no," the man cooed, his dark eyes holding her. "I'm not from Edolas, if that's what you're thinking. We've gone through a great deal of trouble to find him after all these years and now that we finally have my dream of peace can come to frution. You see, my name is Uchiha Obito, and I represent a certain organization. And "he" is a key part of our plans. It wasn't easy for us to find this place you see and-

Erza wasn't listening, she was too busy bristling as he stroked her shoulder length hairs, those pale fingers ghosting around in around her face. Only Naruto was allowed to touch her like that. Certainly not some sinister stranger! She was just preparing to deal out a very unhealthy dose of pain when a familiar voice snaked out between the two them.

"Oi, there! I'll thank you to keep your hands off my girl, ya cheeky dickwaffle!"

Her suitor hissed in pain as a shadow interposed itself off a nearby building and grabbed the offending limb away from Knightwalker's face.

"Ah," he grunted, "The hunter finally shows himself. All I had to do was go after his preee_eeeey!"_ His words degenerated into a pained scream as the blond wrenched his wrist with a horrendous twist.

"The lady said she isn't interested, friend." Naruto twisted his arm at an abrupt an awkward angle, Erza silently relishing in the sound of the fool's snapping bones. "Step away." When the stranger refused to comply the blond forced his compliance; stutter stepping him in the opposite direction for a good three feet. Then he wound up and slugged him right proper. Through an abandoned building. As a final insult, he brought it down on his head, effectively burying the strange man in the debris. Then he threw a Rasenshuriken into the building and detonated it, just to be sure.

A freakin' Rasenshuriken!

"Well, that was weird." Naruto murmurred, dusting his hands off. "Who the hell was that guy?"

"D-Dunno." she stubbornly suppressed the thought, unwilling to think of Naruto going back to wherever he came from. More importantly! What an outfit! Apparently he'd made good on his word to look fancy, discarding the usual armor for a pair of stylish black jeans and an orange shirt, over which he wore an equally black leather jacket. Mmm. Handsome.

"Erm...you're kinda staring?"

_That_ was enough to jog her back to the here and now.

"Late!" she declared immediately, kissing him breathless. "Do you have any idea how bored I was?! Is this godamned surprise of yours ready or what?"

Unbidden, a hand strayed to his pocket.

"Yeah...but...

Naruto at least had the good grace to look sheepish. "Sorry...I was..ah...

"You were what?"

Her lover muttered something incomprehensible. Erza frowned.

"Sorry, didn't catch that."

"...spirit-proofing the place." he muttered.

Erza stared at him for a moment, disbelieving. Then laughter bubbled up inside her like water from a spring. Color exploded onto her cheeks and she jabbed a finger at him in childish glee. "Hahaha!" she cried loudly. "I _knew _it!"

Naruto gave her a long-suffering look.

"Knew...what?"

"You're afraid of ghosts!"

"I am not." he put out petulantly and kissed her again. "Now come on. Everything's ready."

Knightwalker let out a tiny mewl of protest at being denied further affections, but said nothing more, instead allowing herself to be led away.

What on earth was he up to?

* * *

><p>"The hell is this?"<p>

Knightwalker regarded the dim candlelight room _balefully_ peering at the white table and tablecloth as if she were afraid they would rear up and try to bite her. A glass of wine had been placed at either side for each of them a pair of plates laid out for either and on one of those plates...ohmigod! She very nearly squealed in delight when she saw the strawberry shortcake perched upon her dish. Clever bastard! Luring her to the table with her favorite treat! She'd get him back for that little trick of his, that she would! Restaurant or not! It seemed that every member of Fairy Tail had chosen to come out tonight, and in the prescence of so many new and familiar faces, she felt just a touch uncomfortable.

"This, Erza-chan, is a date." Naruto replied, pulling out a seat for her as they reached their table. Reluctantly, she took it. She'd squeezed into a little black dress and been accosed for _this?_

"Look, this is awfully sweet of you and everything but,

She was just about to protest; when Naruto got down on one knee.

Time simply ceased to be.

_"No."_ she whispered, thunderstruck. "No you fucking don't."

Impossibly, Naruto's grin grew.

"Erza, I've been doing a lot of thinking lately. It's been a year since we've met, and a really crazy one at that. I know we've had our ups and downs-among other things-but at the end of the day, I just can't think of any one else I'd spend the rest of my life with. I know this is kinda sudden, but what guess what I'm trying to say is...

_"Will you marry me?"_

Erza's heart stopped. Then it leapt into her throat! She tried to speak, but all that emerged was a wordless sob, her hand flying to her face in a vain attempt to stifle the sound. She was suddenly aware of all eyes upon her, a thousand different sounds all stilled in that instant, just for her. Slowly she stood from her chair, woodenly, not taking enough care. A single word fled from her full lips, leaping out there to shatter the silence like a hammer against glass:

"YES!"

Naruto had been expecting a resounding "NO!" by the point.

So it was _completely_ unexpected when she assailed his lips in a flying tackle and dragged him to the floor. The sheer passion behind her kisses almost caused him to drop the ring; he narrowly managed to hold on it by wrapping his free arm round her waist and supporting himself with his elbows. Cheers erupted all around them, thousands of voices clamoring for their attention in that instant. Erza barely heard any of them.

"Yes yes yes _yes!"_ she gasped between kisses. "A thousand times yes, you sexy bastard, you!"

"Whoa! Hey! This isn't the place for that!"

"And why not?" she paused, giving him a scorching smile."

"Um...there are people around?"

The brash rehead continued to smile. "Don't care!" And promptly assaulted his lips again. That settled it. Dates were overrated.

_Marriage wasn't!_

* * *

><p>Neither was this.<p>

Erza twiddled her thumbs nervously as she approached her favorite blonde not two weeks later, her body drenched in cold sweat beneath her gown. How on earth was she going to tell him this? _No! Don't hesitate! Be strong! Just come right out and say it_! She had to be strong! Fearless! To hesitate was to admit defeat in and of itself! She was knightwalker! She feared nothing! But then why did the ring on her finger feel like it weighed ten thousand tons? Why was her heart pounding like the great drums of a hunt, her own blood booming in her ears? And why, oh whyyyyyyy was she so godamned scared?!

She could barely breath let alone think, the image of the test burned like a brand in the back of her mind. She should've known; should've realized it when she started getting emotional and after thats, the god-aweful morning sickness. But she hadn't, she'd put if off, ignored it, tried to cover it up, until now...when it was no longer an option. Every step was agony, descending the stairs of their home at a snail's pace. Agonizing, the very idea of it enough to send silent shivers shooting down her spine.

Steeling herself, she spoke. Uttered his name.

"Naruto...

The shinobi looked up from his one-armed pushups, sweat still slicking his naked chest. Despite herself, Knightwalker licked her lips. Godamn! It was almost enough to distract her, but not quite. Scarce had she smiled than the fear took her again, rattling her to the very core. Supposedly the S-Class trials would be beginning within the week now, for which the blonde was working to improve his stamina, but that was the furthest an most distant thought on her mind.

"I've...got something to tell you."

"Hmm?" He didn't cease his routine, but his eyes remained fixated upon her. "What's up?"

"...I...I'm...

"What the hell's wrong with you?" he laughed lightly. "You look like you just saw a ghost. "Wait, you didn't, right? Damnit, I thought I'd gotten rid of all them!"

"I'm...

"Darn ghosts, everytime I get rid of them they keep coming back-

_...I'M PREGNANT YOU ASSHOLE!"_

There was a silence. Then:

"What?" Naruto turned three shades of white.

"It's...a...girl, I think." Erza murmured, flushing. She didn't say how she knew, she just...knew.

To his credit, Naruto lasted almost five seconds upon hearing this. He lay there, still perfectly perched on one arm. Erza almost though he might not pass out at the mention of offspring. This time. Sadly she was wrong to that effect, as no sooner did her fiance hit the fice second mark than-

_"Kami!"_

Than he blew a smoke ring and passed out, leaving a stunned Knightwalker to gasp at her beloved's prone form.

"Not again!"

* * *

><p><strong>AN: Whew! I'm emotionally drained after writing this. I wanted this chapter to plunge deeper into the relationship; as well as answer a few questions. Yes, its a very real possibility that Naruto might go back to the Elemental Nations sooner or later. After all, as one reviewer so kindly put it-and thank you for that-he's not quite finished over there in his universe. There's still a war thats raging over there, an Akatsuki to crush, and a very ANNOYING Uchiha to obliterate. I hope this puts things in perspective. This story is nowhere near finished, and the hilairiously romantic chaos is far from over as well. With that in mind, stay tuned for the next chapter! **

**So...in the immortal words of Atlas...**

**...Review...Would Ya Kindly? And of course, Enjoy the preview!**

**(Preview)**

_"Long time no see, boy."_

_Naruto bristled as a familiar face interposed itself between him and safety, rising out of the lake with an almost ponderous slowness. Dead fish eyes regarded him like a piece of meat, sharp, shark-like teeth grinning at the prospect of violence that was to come. And if that red-clouded cloak didn't give the man's identity away, his massive sword, wrapped in bandages, most certainly did. He hedged a step backward, just in time for an overlarge creature-an owl?!-to come swooping down over his head. And there, riding atop its back..._

**_"Katsu!"_**

_Tucking and rolling he avoided the clay claws as they swooped over his head. Then came the explosion._

**_"Shinra Tensei!"_**

_He brushed aside the blast with a violent pulse, but no sooner had he done so than a very familiar-and very deadly!-tri pronged scythe came swooping down at his head. He ducked low, swatting it away at the handles even as its painful edge severed a few hairs from his head. What the hell?! Wasn't Hidan supposed to be dead?! He blasted the pale-haired man away with a backhand, only to find wiry tendrils coiling their way around his body, pinning his arms at their sides. Another push freed him from the trap, but not before he'd gotten a glimpse as his attacker. Kakuzu, too?!_

_What the hell were they doing in this realm?!_

_"Don't bother trying to run, Kyuubi." Tobi declared, materializing behind him. "You'll only die if you do."_

_Whirling he laid eyes upon still more faces, two foes he had always dreaded and one he had already slain; Sasori and Itachi._

_Thank God Pein and Konan weren't amongst them._

_Face to face with nearly the entire organization of Akatsuki itself, the blonde uttered three words._

_"Aw, fuck me..._

**R&R! =D**


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